Secret I Can't Tell
by vietnameseboi15
Summary: How far would you go for someone you love? When Finn Hudson, a gifted pianist, meets Rachel Berry for the first time, he becomes entranced by her beauty and her enticing yet haunting music. So begins this mysterious and dark love story.
1. Secret I Can't Tell

**Synopsis: AU. When Finn Hudson, a gifted pianist, meets Rachel Berry for the first time, he is entranced by her beauty and her enticing yet chilling music. Love story **

**Author's Note: This story is based on the 2007 Taiwanese film "Secret". I will incorporate a soundtrack for the story (not in this first chapter though) since it will involve listening to music and you can play it while reading the story. It is a somewhat AU fic since Finn will be taking the role of a talented pianist and McKinley is a prestigious art high school, but I guarantee that this is a great love story. Please do enjoy the first chapter! R&R **

**Secret I Can't Tell**

The clouds in the sky exhibited signs that it was due to rain very soon, yet some of the students of McKinley School of the Arts enjoyed the pleasant, yet cool autumn day outside. The students outside mostly specialized in the arts, whether it was painting or sculpting. They took the opportunity of the overcast weather to create a work of art while the music majors, those who specialized in a musical instrument, and the sport majors opted for the indoors.

McKinley School of the Arts was a very prestigious school, only accepting the best and brightest in not only the United States, but also the world into the school. When a person attends McKinley School of the Arts, they pick a major to concentrate their studies on. This is by no means a college of any kind, but rather an elite high school for people wanting to pursue a future in the music, the arts, or even apparently, sports as the school also specialized in football and basketball. Students are still required to take the core classes, but the concentration of their studies is based on a student's major.

McKinley could be found basically in the middle of Lima, Ohio, a small town of less than 20,000 citizens living in it. Although the town was little compared to the other Ohioan cities and towns, its art school brought much reputation and fame to it and it attracted citizens from all over the world.

Finn Hudson, a young seventeen year old boy, had just transferred schools. He went to the neighboring Carmel High before his mother urged him to switch schools because he wasn't challenged by the music program there. Finn specialized in playing the piano. He had won numerous awards in competitions. His family consisted of his single mother; his father died during the first Iraq war. Finn was a piano virtuoso, trained by his mother, a pianist virtuoso herself who used to teach at McKinley, allowing both him and his stepbrother Kurt to enroll in the school. Finn's mother was the only one providing the income for the family and her current job could not afford much luxury for the family. The only mode of transportation for Finn was his trusty bicycle with a seat big enough to fit two people. He had a driver's license and had the choice to use the only car his family owned, but he wanted his mother to use that car to get to her job, which was about an hour away. She had actually offer to give him the car while she takes the bus, but he decided that it wasn't all that important to be driving to school since it was only ten minutes away on a bike. Plus, biking to the new school was a means of exercise anyway.

As Finn Hudson parked his bicycle to the side of the school, he wondered what life at McKinley School of the Arts was going to be like. Carmel High, a public school, only specialized in the general. Finn found his passion in music, succeeding greatly in the arts program at Carmel, but somewhat failing in his core subjects. He preferred Carmel in the sense that he could wear whatever he wanted, but at McKinley, all the students were strictly required to wear a uniform. For guys, it was a black dress jacket, pants, and shirt with a red and orange tie. For girls, it was either a black or gray dress jacket and knee high skirts with matching heels. Finn was sure that this uniform was used ever since the school first started in the early 1900's, but it wasn't much of a bother to him. He hoped that McKinley would be a fresh start. Finn checked his watch and discovered that he was half an hour early before class started.

The first thing Finn noticed when he approached the front of the school was the humongous courtyard it had. It was interesting to see people being casual outside, painting and having a fun with one another.

"I could get used to this," Finn thought as an attractive blond girl approached him.

"Hi," the girl greeted, "My name is Quinn Fabray. I'm part of the welcome committee at McKinley here to welcome you to the new school." Quinn extended her hand.

Finn shook her hand and responded, "Hi. I'm Finn Hudson."

"I know who you are," Quinn said with a very pretty smile, "I've heard of you before. Shall we take a stroll while I fill you in on McKinley?"

"Sure. After you, of course," Finn replied, allowing Quinn to guide him.

This was going to be an interesting school, Finn thought. His first steps into a new school and already a gorgeous girl already approached him. Finn couldn't help but chuckle on the inside.

"So, you major in piano, correct?" Quinn asked casually.

"Yeah," Finn replied, nodding his head.

"So why'd you transfer to McKinley? You only had a year left at Carmel. Didn't you want to graduate there?"

"I heard your school had a lovely campus and of course, very lovely ladies," Finn complimented, taking note of the blush forming on Quinn's cheeks.

"Oh, really?" Quinn asked, face still red.

"Well, also my mom made me. So what are you majoring in?"

"Piano as well, but I'm not nearly as good as you though."

"Thank you, but I highly doubt that. I'm not the best pianist in the state or anything."

"You were the youngest pianist to win the Chopin Award in Ohio and you always place first at your competitions," Quinn complimented.

"You seem to know a lot about me," Finn pointed out, causing Quinn to blush even more.

They turned to the right of the courtyard and approached a very ancient looking building.

"This is the piano hall," Quinn informed, "Since you study the piano, this is where you will be most of the time."

Finn's mouth dropped before asking, "You're not serious, are you? This building looks like it's going to collapse anytime soon."

Quinn giggled and replied, "It is over a hundred years old. They're actually going to tear this building down and build a new one for the newer students after our graduation day. It's too bad we won't get the opportunity to enjoy it. Younger students are really lucky. You should definitely check the building before class begins, especially the Old Piano room. The piano there is as old as the building itself"

"Sure," Finn answered, turning into the old building.

"Do you want me to show you the inside?" Quinn asked hopefully. There were also other new students she had to show around the school campus, but if Finn wanted a guide to show him the piano hall, she would've gladly done so.

Finn shook his head and said, "No thanks, Quinn. I think I will be fine on my own."

He ran up the steps of the two story building and hollered to Quinn, "I'll yell if I get lost or something."

Finn's first impression of the building: it was extremely old. There were apparent cracks on the wall from the aging and the paint was already peeling away. The wooden floors looked unpolished and not the slightest refurbished. McKinley looked like it gave up on this building and it was too bad Finn could not enjoy the new building they were constructing after graduation day.

As Finn wandered the hallways of the piano building, he figured this hall to be the most uninteresting place he had ever hoped to go through. He was about to leave the building when he heard a very haunting melody playing on an old piano in the distance. It was so enchanting and it seemed to beckon Finn forward. Like a moth drawn to a flame, Finn pressed forward to try to discover the source of the beautiful, yet chilling music. His head peered into every room, looking for the source of the sound.

Quinn was right, Finn noted. Every room had a piano in it.

The beautiful music began to crescendo as it approached its climax. Finn felt his skin having goosebumps from hearing the song as he approached the end of the hallway. Seeing as there was only one room left on the floor, he knew this must be where the music was coming from, but as he approached the doorway of that room, the music stopped on a silent "E" note. From the outside looking in, Finn saw an old piano, even older than the other pianos he saw in the other room. This must've been the old piano room Quinn was talking about. He also noticed that there wasn't anybody sitting on the chair, playing the piano, which he thought was strange. He poked his head through the door and looked to the right first.

The room had antique furniture all over the place. Everything was covered with a white cloth besides the old baby grand piano sitting in the middle of the room. Finn took one extra step into the room and looked around before turning his attention to the left side. There were bookshelves, he noticed, as his eyes fell upon a brunette with a pair of brown eyes staring right back at him.

Finn was caught by surprise when he saw the girl, jumping back accidently into a lamp behind him. Luckily, he did not knock it down. The girl also seemed to be surprised by Finn's entrance, but she was not as startled as he was.

"Sorry, you scared me," Finn quickly apologized, "I didn't mean to intrude, but was that you who was playing earlier?"

The brunette smiled as she climbed down the steps of the ladder. She hesitated for a moment before telling Finn, "No."

Finn's face showed signs of confusion as he said, "But there's no one else here."

The girl stared at Finn blankly as if to say "really?" before she started to laugh rather uncontrollably. She then said, "Yes, it was me. I was being sarcastic."

"It sounded really beautiful," Finn complimented, eyeing the girl even more.

The short brunette smiled nervously and answered, "Thanks" as the school bell rang signaling the first class period. Finn bowed his head and left the room.

Finn hurried out of the piano building and into his first class. This school year was certainly looking far more interesting. He didn't know why, but this girl was very mysterious. Something seemed a bit off about her, but Finn couldn't deny it. She was very pretty, even more so than Quinn Fabray. Hopefully he would get the chance to see her again and talk to her some more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"In the 19th century, there lived a musical genius who was born in Poland yet this composer created wonderful music in France," Mr. Schuester lectured, "Does anyone know who this person is?"

Will Schuester, "Schue" for short, was the music director at McKinley School of the Arts and also the head professor of the entire Music department. When Finn met Will for the first time, he found Will to be a bit strict, but as the class progressed, Will seemed more laid back. It must've been the first day of school that probably caused Will to be a bit nervous. And also, it was the last class of the day. Who doesn't want school to let out?

Finn raised his hands and answered, "Was it Frederic Chopin?"

"You are correct, Mr. Hudson," Mr. Schuester congratulated before continuing, "Yes, Chopin was that musical genius because he not only forwarded the Romantic Movement, but also infused poetry into his music. His early pieces such as the Etudes…"

Finn began to drown out Will's lecture as he found the lesson to be quite boring. Finn was really a practical person. He would rather play a Chopin Etude instead of listening to a boring lecture about it. It was at this moment when Finn heard a familiar voice in the back say, "Sorry I'm late."

Apparently, Mr. Schuester did not pay attention as he continued on with his lecture. Finn, however, spun around and discovered it to be the same brunette girl in that old piano room. She bowed her head to Mr. Schuester before taking a sit in the empty desk at the back behind Quinn Fabray. The girl looked up and noticed that Finn was looking at her and she smiled back at him. Finn smiled back at her and waved before he heard a loud yell in the front.

"Mr. Hudson! Will you please pay attention to the class instead of ogling that girl?" Mr. Schuester said.

Finn, embarrassed, turned forward and looked straight down at his desk, trying to ignore the snickering from the other students in the classroom.

As Mr. Schuester continued his lecture on Chopin, Finn stole a couple more glances at the girl. He looked at the professor and then the girl and then back to the professor and back to the girl, which definitely caught her attention. She kept a normal face whenever he turned around to look at her, but he didn't notice her flattered smirk every time his head turned back to Mr. Schuester.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the bell rang dismissing the class, the students got up and began to leave the room. Finn immediately spun around, but discovered that the girl had already left. Finn rushed out into the hallway looking for her when he noticed the hem of her scarf disappearing around a corner. Finn ran after her, turning around the corner, but she wasn't there.

"Huh?" Finn thought, "Where was she?" He felt a bit disappointed that he didn't get to see her.

Finn felt a tap on his shoulder as he turned around. He felt a finger applying pressure onto his face. It was the girl.

She smiled flirtatiously at him and asked, "Why are you following me?"

As a quick response, Finn denied it and said, "I'm not."

"Oh," the girl said, shrugging her shoulders, "Well, bye then." She walked away from Finn.

Finn smiled as he ran up to catch up with her.

"I wanted to ask you something," he said.

"I thought you weren't following me," the girl replied.

"I am now, but I wanted to know what the name of the song you were playing earlier."

The girl stopped walking, causing Finn to pause as well. She stood on her toes since she was so much shorter than Finn. It looked as if she was going to kiss him, but her mouth quickly ascended to his ears as she whispered in his ears, "It's a secret I can't tell."

Finn turned his head to face her, but her face was close enough for Finn to see the sparkle in her eyes and the rosiness of her cheeks and lips. She smiled quickly as she walked away from him before he could admire her features even more.

"Wait," he called out, "Why is it a secret?" but the girl responded by placing a finger on her lips and telling him to shush.

Finn smirked at her gesture and didn't even bother to follow her, but then suddenly he realized he should probably ask her a more important question.

"Hey," he called out again, "What's your name?"

At that moment, Quinn spun around because the girl ran in front of Quinn.

"It's Quinn," Quinn replied, "I thought I told you that already."

Finn shook his head and was going to say something, but the girl gave him a wink and disappeared around another corner.

Why was this girl so mysterious, Finn thought?

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sky had turned for the worse as it began to rain. Finn grabbed his bicycle and used his bag to shield his head from the onslaught of the tiny drizzle. He began to bike around, looking for that girl. There was no way she could've gotten that far. Sure enough, he saw her standing underneath a tall tree. He pulled his bicycle up and approached her.

"Want me to give you a ride home on the way?" Finn asked coolly.

The girl asked, "How do you know it's on the way?"

"I don't know actually," Finn replied, "but I do know that it's raining and a girl in distress needs a ride home. Come on. This seat is big enough for the both of us."

She smiled at his chivalrous gesture and nodded her head. She climbed on the back of the bicycle, her feet on the outside and her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hold on tight," Finn informed as he pedaled slowly, "You make sure you point the way all right."

As Finn began to bike a bit faster, he noticed that the girl would grip onto his shoulders even tighter. It made him feel very happy on the inside.

"Why are you so quiet?" the girl asked. It caught Finn by a surprise since it is always Finn that initiated the conversation.

"It's a secret I can't tell," Finn joked. The girl immediately became quiet afterwards, causing her to relax her grip on Finn's shoulders.

"So what kinds of music do you like to hear? Classical, rock, Broadway, or maybe something else?" Finn asked.

"I like listening to all of them," the girl responded.

Dead end.

The rain stopped immediately and Finn could see the sun emerging a tiny bit among the darken clouds.

"Do you prefer the sun or the rain?" Finn asked to try and elicit a conversation from the girl.

"Both," she replied with a nonchalant smile.

Another dead end.

"You play the piano very well," Finn complimented.

"Very well," the girl emphasized, pulling herself closer to Finn's ear and tightening her grip on Finn's shoulders.

"Very well," Finn said, mocking the tone of her voice. She laughed at his impression of her.

"Will you play it for me someday?" Finn continued.

"I don't think so."

"You will. Sooner or later, you will."

"We'll see," the girl laughed.

Finn never took the opportunity to see the beautiful sight of Lima before, but biking this girl home, Finn received the time to enjoy the gorgeous scenery of the town. And he was lucky to be taking her home since her house was in the countryside.

"You can stop right here," the girl informed Finn, patting him on the shoulders and climbing off the bike.

"I don't mind. I can take you to your door if you want," Finn offered, but the girl shook her head.

"It's okay. You've done enough. Thank you for the ride," the girl said, before walking through a fence of a quaint little house, "I don't want my dad to see you."

Finn gazed down and smirked. Never has he ever seen a girl this fascinating before. It definitely caused him to like her even more.

"Hey," Finn called out, hopping off his bike and pushing it towards the fence where she was still standing.

"Yes," the girl responded.

"Can I at least get your name?" Finn begged.

She smiled and replied, "Just call me Rachel Berry"

"Rachel, huh?" Finn said, "That's a beautiful name. I'm Finn Hudson."

She nodded her head and said, "Nice to meet you," before waving goodbye to Finn. Finn reciprocated and turned his bicycle around.

Rachel Berry. You have definitely caught the attention of Finn Hudson, he thought, as he biked home, grinning like a fool at what he considers to be a temporary victory.

**Likes/Dislikes/Concerns/Theories**

**Please review this story. I would like some feedbacks to see if people are really interested in this kind of story. I already wrote the next update, but I'm waiting on the response from the Gleeks Universe. If you are interested, the new chapter will have more background on Kurt, Finn, Carol (Finn's mother), and the mysterious Rachel Berry. There will be more interaction between Finn and Rachel and I have introduced Jesse St. James (in a minor role) in the next chapter. So please, tell me what you think of the story. Thanks! **

**Also, check out my other stories. If you liked this one, hopefully the others will be to your liking as well. **


	2. Passing Afternoon

**Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews and alerts. This will also be another test trial for this story. If you like it and want it to be continued, please subscribe and review. On a side note, this chapter will incorporate the movie's soundtrack to it for a special added effect, so load up YouTube ahead of time. You don't have to, but I believe the music enhances the story itself. In the story, I will have parentheses where I will tell you to play the song and where to end it. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but it helps. Please enjoy this new chapter. And as always, R&R. Thank you. **

**Passing Afternoon**

"So, you dropped her off at her house and ONLY got a name from her? And I thought I was the only in this family that had a problem with asking someone out on a date," Kurt laughed while sautéing the beef in a steaming pot.

"That's because there's not that many gay people at our school. In fact, I don't think are any at all. Besides, I just met the girl. I can't just go blazing and asking her for a date already," Finn replied. He was chopping (poorly) some pearl onions, garlic, and mushrooms.

"For your information FINN, there happens to be a boy at McKinley who is out and proud like me. His name is Blaine. I just haven't talked to him yet," Kurt replied, pouring some red wine in the simmering pot of beef.

Finn scoffed and said, "Sure, there is. What are you making anyway?"

Finn grabbed a spoon and began to stir the pot. He pulled the spoon out and licked it. It had a sweet and pungent taste that was very delicious.

"That's disgusting…And we're eating beef bourguignon tonight, the Julia Child's recipe," Kurt said, grabbing the spoon from Finn's hand and setting it in the pot. With his other hand, he took a look at Finn's vegetable cutting skills and snorted.

"Is something the matter, bro? Are my vegetable cutting skills not to your liking" Finn asked with a smirk.

"Meh, passable. Now go set out in the dining room," Kurt commanded, waving his hand for Finn to leave the kitchen.

Finn went to the cupboard and grabbed three plates. There was an extra plate in there, causing Finn to frown as he looked back at Kurt, who was still happily preparing dinner. At least, Kurt wasn't thinking too deeply about what happened.

Two years ago, Finn's mom Carol and Kurt's dad Burt married each other. It was a joyous time for Finn and Kurt and they spent every moment they could together as one happy family, but about a year ago, Burt suffered a heart attack. It was supposed to be a minor incident, but one day, they found Burt in his mechanic shop, dead from a sudden cardiac arrest. There wasn't anything anyone could've done. Kurt took the news the hardest because he had lost both his mother and his father. Finn and Carol were all the family in the world Kurt had left and they tried their best to help Kurt get through it. Finn believed that it was working.

"Boys, I'm home," a voice called from the front door. It was Carol, who made her way into the kitchen.

"Hey mama," Kurt greeted, giving Carol a kiss on the cheek, "How was your day?"

"It's great and I'm tired. And what is that smell? I sure hope that's dinner because it smells really good," Carol complimented.

Kurt beamed and replied, "It's beef bourguignon and yes it is for dinner. Why don't you go freshen up while I finish my seasoning and Finn stop staring into the empty pace and finish setting the table?"

Carol smiled brightly and headed upstairs to run a bath in her room. Burt's last gift to the family was a much bigger house that the four of them could live in. Ever since Burt's death, the house just wasn't the same, but they managed to get by, one day at a time. Finn was sure Burt wouldn't want Kurt to dwell on the past. The impact of his death remained in the house, but its impact lessened everyday that Kurt had a smile on his face.

"You said her name was Rachel, right?" Kurt asked casually, pouring the beef into a large bowl.

"Yes. Why are you interested?" Finn asked suspiciously.

"Interested? I should be. A potential girlfriend for my brother is really something. I'm just interested why she's interested in you in the first place. Your first day at McKinley after conquering the hearts of the ladies at Carmel and you're already scouting to conquer the hearts of the ladies in this school."

"Do you know her?"

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel…I don't think I do. I would've thought you gone for the Ice Princess Quinn Fabray."

"Ice Princess?"

"Yep, she's cold as ice, but she's extremely attractive as hell. Not like I'm the only gay guy who notices it. I saw her earlier when she was introducing you to the school. It looked like she was taking a liking to you."

"Yeah, she's pretty, but I think Rachel is way cuter."

"I don't know until I've seen her. When can I see her, obviously besides your wedding day?"

"You can see her tomorrow. We have that stupid mandatory gym thing in the morning, right?"

Kurt nodded as he placed some bowtie pastas on each plate.

"Oh, are you going to teach me how to play the piano again tonight?" Kurt asked hopefully.

"I forgot. You're a dorky vocal major. You should've done piano, Kurt. Glee is so lame."

"Glee is not lame. You should try it sometimes."

"We'll see. It depends if you give me seconds. And I honestly don't see why you don't ask mom for lessons. After all, she's the one who taught me everything I know," Finn replied.

"I know, but don't you see how tired she looks every time she comes home? If she was still the music director at our school, I would've taken lessons from her. Ever since she started teaching those special need kids, she doesn't have a lot of free time to teach me. So pretty please. Can you teach me?"

Finn thought for a moment and took a seat in his chair.

"Fine, I'll spend half an hour teaching you…scales," Finn responded with a chuckle.

"Hooray!" Kurt cheered, leaping in the air for joy.

Finn honestly did not mind. He knew his mother was a very busy person. She was the music director at McKinley before Finn was even born. For some reason, she quit 20 years ago. Finn never knew why, but she decided to switch her career to help special education. His mother had a gift of playing the piano as well, training Finn to play since he was only five years old. He felt grateful for her training because he was now considered one of the best pianists in Ohio and in the United States. Finn attended the McKinley School of the Arts, which housed some of the most brilliant minds of the arts, including Jesse St. James, a pianist so talented that people say he had never missed a note on any piece. Finn wondered about challenging him to a piano battle one day. He could use that to impress Rachel.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You think that's hard? Try looking for a hay in a needle stack! That's hard!" Coach Sylvester yelled from her megaphone.

Sue Sylvester happened to be the gym teacher of the school. Once a week, all of McKinley students would participate in an hour's worth exercise session with Coach Sylvester, who did nothing but yell and insult the other students.

"She seems like a bitch," Finn whispered to Quinn, who was standing right behind him while doing his jumping jacks.

"She's not," Quinn laughed, "She's a big softie on the inside."

"Quinn Fabray! I did not just hear you say something nice about me!" Sue proclaimed loudly, "Now give me fifty more jumping jacks."

"Yeah," Finn chuckled, "A real snuggle bear."

Finn looked around the courtyard of the school hoping to catch a glimpse of Rachel among the rows of students, but he didn't see her.

"So where's this 'Rachel'?" Kurt asked, approaching Finn from the side.

"She's gotta be around here somewhere," Finn replied, standing on his toes to try to find the short brunette.

"You know, I'm beginning to think you're making this girl up in your mind. Are you really that desperate for a girlfriend? I can introduce you to Quinn," Kurt said, pointing his fingers at Quinn, who blushed immediately and looked away after hearing Kurt say that.

"I'm okay. Thanks Kurt. When I find her, I promise to you. I will bring her to you. Her physical body, ok?" Finn said.

"Whatever, Mr. Finn. I see Mercedes and Tina. I'll talk to you later. Take it easy, Quinn," Kurt said as we walked away, winking at Quinn, who blushed even more.

Finn took a glance back at Quinn, who kept staring at him. He felt flattered that at least one girl in the school likes him, but he had his eyes set on Rachel Berry. If only he could find her…

xxxxxxxxxxx

The last class was coming to end as Mr. Schuester assigned the class some additional readings on Chopin. It was already the second day of class and it has become clear to Finn that Mr. Schuester was madly in love with the Polish composer. Finn actually liked playing Chopin pieces because not only are they difficult to play, but they sound really amazing when played right and sometimes fast. The only thing that irked Finn was that he did not like reading about the composer's life. It does not compare to the practical side.

During the class, Finn kept glancing backwards hoping to see Rachel walk in the classroom, late like last time, but as the class ended, Finn had not seen her the whole day. As he gathered his belonging into his bag, he left the classroom, feeling hurt for some reason. Why was he so interested in her? Maybe it was just that song she was playing that caught his attention.

No, Finn decided. That wasn't it. He had liked her the first time he laid eyes on her. And not seeing her that day really hurt his feelings.

Maybe she was in that old piano room, Finn thought. He needed to practice anyway. He decided that he might as well check out the room.

As he made his way into the piano room, he discovered that there was no one sitting in the chair or on the ladder next to the bookshelf. It was an empty room. Finn sat down on the piano bench and began to play some melodies just to hear the sound.

The old baby grand piano honestly did not sound that terrible. In fact, he actually liked the sound coming from it. It had an oaky feel to it with a touch of longevity on the keys. Both the white and black keys were rusting away though, revealing some light brown patches.

Finn continued to play until he noticed two students walk in. One was a white person with a Mohawk for a hair and the other was an Asian guy. That was the best Finn could say to describe the second guy.

The Mohawk-man whispered to Finn to be quiet and held his finger on his lips as the two of them hid inside a wardrobe closet, sitting on the right side of the room. Finn shrugged his shoulders and continued to play his song until a mean looking coach came in. Finn instantly stopped when he heard the coach roar in a hoarse voice, "Did you see two boys come running in here?"

Finn recalled hearing about the football coach at McKinley being a woman, but this coach and her voice gave her the appearance of being man if Finn did not look closely. Her name was Shannon Beiste and apparently it was French or something, Finn thought.

Finn paused for a moment before shaking his head and replying, "No."

Coach Beiste thanked Finn and stormed away from the room. Finn yelled out that the coach was gone as the two boys clambered out from their hiding place in the dresser.

"Thanks, bro," the Mohawk-man said, "You seem pretty cool. Are you new at this school?"

"Yeah, I am. I just transferred from Carmel. I'm majoring in Piano. The name is Finn by the way," Finn replied.

"I'm Mike," the Asian boy pointed to himself before pointing to Mohawk-man, "And this is Puck. He's a fifth year Senior and captain of the football team."

"I shouldn't even be here," Puck replied tersely, shoving Mike away, "It's just my teachers wouldn't accept alcohol as an acceptable bribe for me to graduate."

Finn chuckled at Puck.

"Let's go, man," Mike called, leaving the room.

"All right. It was nice to meet you, Finn. Come to our game next Friday. We need a bigger audience," Puck invited.

"Will do. Bye," Finn answered as Puck left the room. He could overhear the conversation down the hall of how Coach Beiste was dumb.

Finn glanced at his watch and discovered that he had playing for nearly an hour. It was probably time to go home. He grabbed his bag and left the old piano room. As he was walking out of the courtyard and out of the school, he felt a tap on his shoulders, which he, despite being startled, immediately spun around. It was Rachel Berry, smiling rather cheerfully at him.

"Did I scare you?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, you did scare me. Where were you? I didn't see you in class" Finn replied, happy to see Rachel at last.

"Skipping. I was practicing in the old piano room," Rachel quickly responded.

"No way," Finn exclaimed, "I was just in there. I didn't see you."

Rachel gazed down and hesitated. She then said, "I…took a bathroom break."

"For an hour? I was in there that long," Finn said, eyeing Rachel suspiciously.

"I saw some friends of mine. We caught up," Rachel answered quickly.

"Sure, you did," Finn said skeptically.

"Why, Finn? Did you miss me?" Rachel laughed.

Finn struggled for a second and answered, "Yeah. I missed…your music."

Rachel pouted her mouth and said slowly, "But I missed you..."

Finn stared into her eyes to see if she was serious before she added, "Your music!"

**(Author's Note: .com/watch?v=GN7Vp4Pk-lk&feature=related)**

"Oh," Finn laughed and nodded his head in embarrassment. He stepped forward and leaned against a column and stared up at the sky. The sun was shining very vividly and there was soft cool breeze flowing through the air.

"The weather is nice today," Finn complimented.

Rachel walked up and stood right beside Finn, leaning on the other column. She also looked up at the sky and reciprocated, "It is beautiful."

Finn glanced over at Rachel, who was still looking at the sky with a smile on her face and the soft wind blowing her hair away to reveal the beautiful complexions underneath. She is beautiful, Finn thought, even more so than the weather, but he feel as if he would never have the chance to tell her because she wouldn't allow him into her heart, but he didn't for the moment. He just stood there, admiring her gentleness and the way that she enjoyed the scenery. It was a simplistic view, but he treasured every seconds of it. He couldn't help but smile as she closed her eyes to experience her senses even further.

(**Author's Note: End song)**

"Get out of here, retard. I don't even know why the school hired you here in the first place," a voice yelled in the distance, causing Rachel to open her eyes and observe what was going on. A pack of freshmen students were picking on a handicapped person holding a broom as the man was sweeping the leaves in the courtyard.

It was only the second day of school, but Finn knew who that handicapped person was. He was the school's janitor, Mr. Jay. Finn did not his full name, but he was interested as to why the school would hire a mentally handicapped person as a janitor. It turned out, as Finn discovered, that he had worked for the school for over twenty years now and he was born normal, but while working at the school, he was exposed to a massive amount of lead and mercury. There was nothing that could've been done. It damaged his brain cells, causing his disability. To avoid a lawsuit from the family of Mr. Jay, the school kept him as its janitor. He still retained the use of his skills as a janitor, but he had a speech impediment and his body would shake a lot when he moved, like he was suffering a mini seizure, which a lot of cruel students would use to tease him with.

"Can't you help him?" Rachel asked, her voice broken. Finn was surprised to see tears develop in her eyes.

Finn nodded his head and ran over to where the pack of students and Mr. Jay was. Mr. Jay was still holding onto his broom and sweeping diligently, despite being made fun of by the students.

"Leave the guy alone!" Finn roared at the freshmen. Finn was a freakishly tall person and he had a commanding presence. Plus the fact that he was at least a head taller than the freshmen there caused the students to run away scared.

"Thank…Thank…Thank you," Mr. Jay said. Finn nodded his head.

"No problem, Mr. Jay. I'll let you keep on working," Finn saluted, walking away from him and towards Rachel.

"Thank you," Rachel said with a sad tone.

"Why are you crying?" Finn asked.

"It's nothing," Rachel responded, wiping a tear away from her eyes, "I'm just an emotional person."

"Why don't I cheer you up? Wanna go for a walk and maybe some ice cream afterwards?" Finn suggested.

Rachel beamed at once as she nodded her head in excitement.

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**(Author's Note: ****.com/watch?v=TqLg1A8K1L4&feature=related**** )**

Finn had not been to the lake in a long time, but as the sun was slowly setting in the distance, he couldn't think of a better place to be at. The scenery was especially beautiful at the time and it was the perfect place to try to get to know Rachel Berry more.

Finn was happy that Rachel had accepted his invitation. As he pushed his bike forward, Rachel was walking silently right beside Finn. It was only a few minutes into their walk and they still have not exchanged any words, so Finn decided to be the one to break the silence.

"So, how many people in your family?" Finn asked.

"Just me and my dad. My other dad died when I was twelve," Rachel replied.

"Other dad?" Finn asked surprisingly.

"My dads are gay, if you haven't figured it out," Rachel laughed, "I hope that's okay with you."

"Why wouldn't it be? My stepbrother Kurt is the most flaming of all kids at our school. I don't know if you've seen him yet."

Rachel laughed for a moment and then asked, "So I take it that your mom or your dad married someone else?"

"Yeah, my mom did. It was Kurt's dad, but he died a year ago from cardiac arrest. My real dad died when I was really young during Operation Desert Storm."

"Desert Storm? What's that?" Rachel asked with a quizzical look on her face.

"Wow, I guess you don't read much history," Finn laughed, "America fought a war against Iraq when Iraq invaded Kuwait."

"Oh! You mean the Gulf War," Rachel said.

"Yeah, but we usually call it Operation Desert Storm."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Do you regret not spending time with him?"

"It's okay. In a way, I guess I'm a little glad because I never really got to know him personally. I think it would've hurt a hell lot worse if I actually knew him like you knew your dad. Did it hurt when he died?"

"Very much so. It took me awhile, but I finally came to terms with his death. I'm pretty happy now."

"Let's stop talking about the past and all the sad death stuff. Let's focus on getting some ice cream, ok," Finn said with a bright smile.

He poked her gently in the face and quickly sped up ahead. Rachel smiled brightly before running after him.

**(Author's Note: End song)**

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"Hey, why don't you wait outside by the bench while I get our ice cream?" Finn told Rachel as they approached the ice cream shop.

Rachel gazed up at him and nodded her head, taking a seat on the empty bench right across from the ice cream shop.

"Can I help you?" the cashier asked.

"Hey. Can I get one cone with chocolate and the other with vanilla?" Finn replied. Finn handed the cashier the money and waited next to the line for his ice cream.

"You're Finn Hudson, right?" a voice behind him asked. It turned out to be Jesse St. James.

"Yes. And you're Jesse St. James," Finn said.

"Guilty as charged. I've been meaning to talk to you, but I haven't had the opportunity to."

"About what?"

For some reason, Finn did not like Jesse. Maybe it was his hair, but Jesse had a bragging attitude.

"Just a friendly talk. I was going to invite you for a friendly competition in auditorium sometimes," Jesse replied.

"You mean like dueling pianos?" Finn asked, raising his eyebrows dubiously.

"Well," Jesse said before hesitating, "I wouldn't call it that. Just some friendly playing. To be frank, I know how well you play, Hudson. I don't know if you heard of me or my reputation, but I'm the best in the school. And I intend to keep it that way."

"Is that right?" Finn asked sarcastically, "Fine, you can be the king or queen of this school for all I care. I don't need to play against you to prove that."

"I didn't realize that one of the most talented pianists in the nation is actually a coward."

"Not a coward, St. James. I'm just better than you," Finn said, grabbing his ice cream and beginning to walk out.

"Don't go hiding behind your mommy now. If you don't want to go against me, why don't you just say so?" Jesse said coldly as Finn approached the door.

"You know what," Finn said, turning around, "I think you have me beat on one thing. That's your ego, but playing the piano? You are not better than me. And you want me to prove it? Fine. Tomorrow noon in the auditorium. Be there!"

Finn stormed out of the ice cream shop in a huff. He walked across the street and handed Rachel her ice cream.

"What was that about?" Rachel asked, taking the cone gingerly, "I noticed you were having some kind of a row with that kid with the funny looking hair."

Finn laughed and replied, "Yeah. That's Jesse St. James and he is supposedly the best pianist at McKinley right now. He was just challenging me to a piano battle."

"Well, are you going to do it?" Rachel said, slurping her ice cream.

"Will you go out with me if I win?" Finn asked back, turning to Rachel for her response.

Rachel smiled and asked, "Isn't this a date?"

"Are you serious?" Finn asked, lowering his tone. He nearly dropped his ice cream when she said that.

Rachel laughed and replied, "You tell me."

"Fine," Finn said, "If I win, will you go on a real date with me?"

Rachel thought for a moment before saying, "I will…if you win."

"Then that's what I'll do. Come to the auditorium room to see me kick Jesse St. James' ass."

Rachel nodded her head as she gripped Finn's hands tightly.

"Try not to lose then."

**Likes/Dislikes/Concerns/Theories**

**Did you enjoy it? I hope this chapter gave a bit more background to the characters. Next chapter, if readers demand it, will be the epic piano showdown between Finn Hudson and Jesse St. James. Finn and Rachel will spend time together inside the old piano room and there will be a "moment" between the both of them. **

**I hope you are keeping up with the tiny details within this story. Yes, Chopin is also significant in the story, though I won't explain why. Every little thing is significant, so by the time the story ends, you will understand completely if you keep up. Tune in for the next update. Thank you for your time and please subscribe and review!**


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